Port Bay Hunting Club celebrates 100 years

DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES Port Bay Club guest Conor Harrison returns with ducks to the launch. That's club member David Sams steering the skiff and guide Alan Bracket with them.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES The kitchen where meals are prepared for members, guides and guests at Port Bay Hunting & Fishing Club is well-equipped and clean. Three meals are included in the $60 day rate.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES Port Bay Club member Neil Van Zandt, center, of Fort Worth, prepares for a recent morning hunt with his two guests. Notice the modest sleeping quarters.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES After each hunt, guides and hunters in return the launch, load it was gear and then tie their skiff behind the tow boat for the ride back to camp.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES Ed Duvall and his dad, Dick Duvall, both members of Port Bay Hunting & Fishing Club relax at the fire ring during a recent visit to the century-old club.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES Port Bay Club members, guests and guides gather for breakfast prior to an hunt earlier this season.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES A yellow lab named Copano at Port Bay Club struggles against the waves during a dry run at Clubhouse Point near where the original club was built.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES Port Bay Club member David Randolph of Sugarland, with his son, Garret, 6, inspect their hunting licenses after breakfast before a recent hunt.

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY JIM MOLONEY This 1926 photo depicts Port Bay waterfowl hunters after a good wingshoot. Its unclear whether this is from Port Bay Hunting & Fishing Club, which was established in 1912.

Jim Maloney

DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES Port Bay Club guide Chris Schmidt steers a skiff back to the launch during a recent hunt. Schmidt works part time at the club. The former U.S. Marine moved from Minnesota for the duck hunting opportunities in Texas.

DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES Oars were replaced by small outboards in the early 1960s at Port Bay Hunting & Fishing Club, where airboats have always been banned. Here, club skiffs are being towed by a converted shrimp boat called the launch.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES The newest addition at Port Bay Hunting & Fishing Club is the first in decades. The second floor TV lounge has a bar and overstuffed furniture for comfortable football viewing.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES Guide Ramer Ramzinsky invokes the memory of former Port Bay Club guide Lurch Mason, a legendary and colorful character. The double L symbol stands for Lurch Land, which is the name given to the club's old guide shack. Mason was known to fall asleep in duck blinds after a long night.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES Port Bay Club member Ed Duvall returns to the blind with decoys from a recent morning hunt. Members may hunt on their own or use a guide for an additional fee.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES The ride back to camp in the launch is loud with a celebratory tone, whether the hunt was particularly successful or not.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES Hunters with Port Bay Hunting & Fishing Club return to camp after a recent morning hunt the way its been done for decades.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES The front porch activity at the Port Bay Hunting & Fishing Club before a morning hunt features hunters gearing up for the launch.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES Port Bay Club guide Alan Bracket returns with a skiff in tow. These fiberglass skiffs were created from a mold made from the vintage wooden rowboats used during the club's early history.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES The old picking house at Port Bay Hunting & Fishing Club where guides dress and package birds after each hunt.

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DAVID SIKES/CALLER-TIMES One thing that has changed over the decades at Port Bay Hunting & Fishing Club is the variety of ducks. Early members enjoyed an unimaginable bounty of waterfowl that included, geese, swans, canvasbacks, mallards and many other species.